Our #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-2) will take on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (10-5) in the quarterfinals tomorrow! Given what happened to the boys last year in the quarterfinals, we expect the guys to be extremely ready.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

To get everyone in the proper mood for a critical quarterfinal tilt, let’s recall some recent Fighting Irish moments for inspiration:

The Return of the Lacrosse Angel

On the eve of the 2019 NCAA Tournament matchup against Johns Hopkins, Irish fans were welcomed with the news of the return of Ryder Garnsey. After missing the entire season, he would return for a final playoff run before riding off into the sunset. Ryder did not disappoint.

Coming off the bench in the pouring rain, Garnsey lit up the Blue Jays for 3 goals and an assist in his final game at Arlotta Stadium. It was part of a hammering of the blue-blood team from Baltimore. All highlight goals to cap the college career of one of the sport’s most creative players.

Credit: Craigs Photos

The King of Clutch

Shuart Stadium will always hold a special place in the heart of Irish fans as the venue of perhaps the greatest lacrosse games ever played, the 2014 NCAA Quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Albany.

The Thompson brothers of Albany were invincible scoring legends. The rosters were stuffed with players that would become pro legends, like Blaze Riorden, Sergio Perkovic, and Matt Landis. The teams exchanged huge scoring runs and went to overtime, where it was The King of Clutch, Matt Kavanagh, who iced it for the Irish with an incredible effort.

Addressing a Rumor

We have heard a rumor going around that the team might bring defender Lyght up to the midfield to cover Matt Cullison, Johns Hopkins key scoring threat.

To be quite frank, it’s really hard to make sense of speculation like this. First of all, Donovan is unarguably the best LSM in the country right now. He is perfectly capable of dominating that match-up and I am confident he will. Chris Iuliano is no cupcake either at over 200 lbs.

But if for whatever reason they need to bring a defender up to account for the 225 lb. Cullison’s size, Schwitzenberg is the better move. Schwitzenberg is the heavier of the two by a good margin, so having him up there would bring the size match-up to about even. Nate also happens to also be one of the top cover guys in the country.

The main factor that needs to be taken into consideration is taking Lyght out of the hole. He is our rock on defense that helps the team remain consistent. Putting him out on the perimeter. would also change his slide responsibilities which would certainly throw off the defense. It doesn’t hurt to mention that being on the receiving end of a Shawn Lyght slide is no picnic. Why take that off the field.

Defensive Outlook

Like we just discussed, Collison (28g 15a) will be their main threat. No matter how the Irish chose to guard him, keeping him under control will be vital. 

Outside of Collison the Blue Jays have Hunter Chauvette (38g 5a), Chuck Rawson (23g 15a), and the excellent distributor, Brooks English (7a 23a).

The Jays do not have a one guy that will take over. Yes, we did discuss the x-factor of Collison, but a lot will need to go wrong for the Irish for him to take over the game. His main threat comes from his size. Like we have said before, this team style of offense plays into the strength of the defense. This offense will not be forcing slides over and over. As long as defense doesn’t get forced into rotating too easily, there won’t be the gaps they need for scoring opportunities.  If the boys play together we will be fine.

Offensive Outlook

Jash Yago will likely get the Luke Martin match-up. Martin has the second most caused turnovers on the Blue Jays but we like the matchup. Similar to the offensive side of the ball, there is no hero on defense for Hopkins. They find success by being disciplined, denying outlet passes from the dodge, and forcing teams to look too aggressively at skip lanes.

This is not a defense that can stop everything, meaning Notre Dame’s scoring depth and variety of attack should make this an impossible matchup for Johns Hopkins. If the boys play good team offense and make sure everyone eats, we like our chances. They boys will have to work, no doubt there, 

Between the pipes will be Oran Gelinas who sits at 53.9% on the season. Not a bad goalie by any means, as long as the boys keep him from getting hot, he shouldn’t be a game changer.

The Blue Jays have also shown Dash Lamitie this season, starting him in 5 games. He sits at 48% on the season. We fully expect to see Gelinas for the entirety of this game, as he has proven himself as the better of their two keepers, but the boys need to be ready for that switch.

At the dot, Notre Dame will be fine if they can keep the Blue Jay wings from becoming impactful. One-on-one, the Irish specialists have an advantage. Let it become a scrum, it may get annoying.

Well Done!

Congratulations to our graduating seniors that are celebrating their graduation on the road! The quarterfinal road graduation is one of the great team traditions that is the result of success on the field keeping them from being on campus. The boys wouldn’t have it any other way.

A trip to the final four in Charlottesville rides on this one! We are sure the boys will be ready.

The game will be at Noon EDT on ESPNU. Make sure to tune in!

 

#GoIrish

Luke Burgar

ND-ATL 2.0